Missing Australian Sub Finally Found

More than a hundred years after it had disappeared, Australia’s first submarine was finally discovered. The submarine, called AE-1 , went missing on September 14, 1914, with a crew of 35 on board. It was the first Allied submarine loss of the war.

After decades of searching, the missing Australian sub was found about 300 metresunderwater, off the coast of Papua New Guinea. It appears to be well-preserved and in one piece. Experts are now trying to examine the wreck and find out why the sub sank. They think it was probably an accident and not because of enemy fire.

The sub was on a mission to occupy German New Guinea, one of the German colonies in the Pacific.

In the past, there were 13 government – funded searches for the sub but, until now, none of them proved successful. When thesubmarinewasfound navyofficials held a commemorative service for the crew that the Australian navy had lost. Families were contacted and told that the oldest naval mystery in Australian history had finally been solved.

Missing Australian submarine AE-1

Words

Allied = group of countries that fought together in the first and second World Wars

appear = seems to be

coast = where land meets the sea

colony = area that is under control by a government that is far away

commemorative service = event that shows you remember and respect something important that happened a long time ago

crew = all the people who worked on the sub

decade = ten years

disappear = here: to get lost

discover = here : find

enemy fire = attack by the enemy

examine = look at something closely in order to find out more about it

government – funded = paid for by the state

in one piece = not broken

loss = not having something anymore

mission = important job, done by the army, air force or navy

naval = about the navy

navy = part of a country’s military that fights at sea

occupy = to enter a place with an army and keep control of it

official = here: a person in a high position in an organisation

prove successful = if something you try to do really works the way you want it to